Fishing on Bay Lake

Guided Fishing Trips

Need help finding the fish? Fishing guide Lynn Harker knows all of the best spots on Bay Lake.

Call 218-851-5507

Half-Day

$425

4 hours at 7:30 AM or 1:00 PM

✓ 1-3 People

✓ Fish cleaning

✓ Education, safety, and fun!

3/4-Day

$525

6 hour trip.

✓ 1–3 People

✓ Fish cleaning

✓ Education, safety, and fun!

Full-Day

$650

8 hours with a break for lunch.

✓ 1–3 People

✓ Fish cleaning

✓ Education, safety, and fun!

Bring the Whole Family

$50 per Additional person Added

If your group is larger than 4 people, extra guides are available, just give us call to set this up.

In order to guarantee your reservation, deposits will be required on advance bookings.

What's Included

Each guided fishing trip includes:

A fishing boat and fuel
Bait and tackle
Fishing Life Jackets (PFDs)

Ruttger’s will provide hot and cold beverages for an additional fee.

What to Bring

Bring your valid Minnesota Fishing License
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Rain gear
Clothing suitable for the weather
Your camera!

Lynn Harker

It was 25 years ago when Jack Ruttger asked Lynn Harker to be Ruttger’s exclusive fishing guide. Ever since, Lynn has guided families, first-timers, hardcore walleye fishermen, and everyone in between, taking guests out on Bay Lake to reel in the big the ones.

A guided fishing trip with Lynn has become a guest favorite at Ruttger’s, guaranteeing you’ll return with plenty of fish tales.

With over 450 lakes within a 50-mile radius of Lynn’s doorstep, he’s guided on many of the wonderful lakes that northern Minnesota is known for such as Mille Lacs, Gull Lake, Whitefish Lake, Pelican Lake, the Cuyuna Country Recreation Area mine pit lakes, and many of the smaller lakes in between.

We won’t give away any of Lynn’s secrets, but if you’re looking for a particular type to fish, he’ll know the perfect spot on the right lake.

Fishing on Bay Lake

With 19 miles of shoreline, over 2,300 acres, and a 74-foot depth, Bay Lake is a tremendous lake for fishing in the Brainerd Lakes area. You’ll find the following fish on Bay Lake:

Sunfish
Crappies
Bass
Northern Pike
Walleye

And, Lynn knows where they all like to hang out. From years of experience fishing on Bay Lake plus equipped with all the latest technology to map out the lake, Lynn knows the best fishing spots for the exact type of fish you’re looking to reel in.

While most choose to catch and release, you can keep enough of your catch for a fresh fish fry. Lynn will clean the fish for you too. And one fish might be enough for a decent dinner as Lynn recounts the largest fish a guest has caught on Bay Lake was a 41-inch, 18-pound northern. Guests have also reeled in beautiful 29-inch walleye and plenty of 5-pound bass.

Get Close to Wildlife

Fish won’t be the only wildlife you encounter on a fishing trip with Lynn. Lynn has a special relationship with the bald eagles on Bay Lake.

During your fishing trip, Lynn treats you to a spectacular experience. He’ll whistle to the eagles, slipping a rock bass near the boat. The eagles will fly down about 15 or 20 feet away to catch the fish. “You’ll never get that close to a wild eagle in nature,” says Lynn.

Along with bald eagles, already this year, Lynn has seen three deer swim across Bay Lake, an otter with her two pups, ospreys, and tons of loons and baby loons.

A Fishing Tradition

Lynn especially loves to take out kids, passing on his love for fishing which started when Lynn fished with his grandfather, who was a fishing guide himself in the Whitefish chain.

“I’d love to have my grandfather on my boat to show him the modern equipment. I remember his depth finder was a yellow carpenter’s cord with two-foot knots and a plumb bob at the bottom. He had two nails in the gunnel of the boat, he put it down on the bottom at the depth he wanted, and we would row along. If we got slack, we knew it was too shallow. He would keep checking it, and that’s how mapped the lake structure.” - Lynn Harker

While fishing technology has changed a bit since then, creating lasting family memories and traditions remains the same. Lynn describes just this past weekend, he took out a grandfather, father, and nine-year-old out for the whole day whose goal was to simply ‘catch a bunch of fish,’ and they ended up catching 121 bass.

“I love to see the smiles on the kids’ faces when they get excited and catch a fish. I teach them how to hold the fish for a photo too, and most do well with some even kissing it,” - Lynn Harker

Book Your Fishing Trip

With Lynn as your guide, take a four-hour, six-hour, or all-day fishing trip. For families with little ones who may not make it the whole time, Lynn is happy to drop off part of the group with the kiddos and head back out. For longer trips, you’ll also take breaks for lunch, stretch your legs, and cruise to other surrounding lakes.

All you’ll need to bring is your sunscreen and fishing license. “I take care of the rest,” says Lynn. He’ll provide the boat, life jackets, bait, tackle, gear, and most importantly, all the knowledge! Lynn teaches you Fishing 101, including how to bait the hook, hold the rod, hook the line with your finger, how to cast, how to reel it in, and “by the end of the trip, they got it,” says Lynn.

To book your trip or get more details, contact Lynn Directly at 218-851-5507